Newsletter #2 2012

Endorsed Reports

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we absolutely require endorsed reports for certification purposes. This means that we need either a a CBTL report (CB certificate required when TMP, SMP or WMT), or a report carrying the logo of the lab’s accreditation body such as CNAS, HKAS, SAC, DAKS or any other accreditation body who is a signatory to ILAC. This is a requirement of our own accreditation at SAA.

PV (Photovoltaic Arrays)

There are specific requirements for PV equipment in Australia which are unique. There has been an update to AS/NZS 5033. This comes into force on 16 October 2012 and this standard will apply to all PV installations with power of 240W or greater and open circuit voltage of 50V or greater. The full name of this standard is AS/NZS 5033:2012 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The safety requirements of this Standard are critically dependent on the inverters associated with PV arrays complying with the requirements of IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2 and all power conditioning equipment complying with IEC 62109 series standards. As well as these standards, the inverter must also comply with AS 4777.2-2005 Grid connection of energy systems via inverters – Inverter requirements. Consideration must also be given to AS 4777.1 which specifies the installation requirements and AS 4777.3 which specifies the requirements for any grid protection devices. There is a further revision due for AS 4777 which will tie it more closely to the requirements of AS/NZS 3000 and also will increase the scope for larger systems. There is no sign of it at this stage however and we will advise as soon as more information comes available. The changes to AS/NZS 5033 are far-reaching and if you are involved in this business, we strongly recommend purchasing the standard and studying it. What this change essentially means is that from October 16, in order to certify these devices, we will need reports to IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2, AS/NZS 3100 as well as AS 4777.2 and AS4777.3 if applicable.

Reminder of the Amendment to AS/NZS 3197

An amendment has been published for 3197: AS/NZS 3197:2005/Amdt 2:2012 Approval and test specification – Portable electrical control or conditioning devices. The most critical part of this amendment is that it states that “Electrical portable outlet devices that are within the scope of AS/NZS 3105 but having condition and control device functions, remain within the scope of AS/NZS 3105 and are tested to that standard with any additional requirements of the conditioning device of AS/NZS 3197 being applied.”. This is a significant shift in testing and reporting which needs to be followed.